COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONThis saison was a small collaboration with an eatery in the Wicker Park area of Chicago, so we wanted this beer to be easily paired with food.

The initial idea was a saison with citrus flavors, so we took notes and went to work on a test batch. Pleased with the test batch, we moved to the large system. The amounts of spices translated to 3#s of peppercorns, 1.5#s of fresh rosemary, and the peels from 20#s of clementines on the 15bbl system. This beer also did all of its fermentation above 80F, peaking at around 88F. What we have as a result is a very aromatic, freshly citrus beer with all the great characteristics of a Belgian farmhouse ale. The ABV on this brew is a hefty 8.3% so don’t let the delicacy fool you.

22 oz. bottle purchased at the brewpub the night before Dark Lord Day. Pours a cloudy golden-orange color with a small white head that lasts. Awesome aroma that pops out of the glass, with rosemary, clove, clementine oranges (yeah, I read the label first, so what), floral and herbal notes, sweet malts, and hay. Flavor of floral hops, rosemary, clove, sweet malts, sugar, apricot, and more of those nice clementines. Light-medium bodied, with medium carbonation and a dry, floral mouthfeel. I loved this.

Pour is a cloudy blonde with a small white head. Aroma is estery with some spicy and fruit. Flavor is extremly yeasty and fruity with a lot of citrus hop and some funk. A nice pepper is left ont he tounge as this goes down. Very nice and tasty saison and probably the best of the style I’ve sampled in 2011 so far.

On tap 4-29-11 at brewery. The beer was very interesting it pour yellow colour. It was a little bit sour but it tasted similar to other saisons, it was had that nice belgian yeastiness to it. I definitely would have this one again.

2011 bomber. Time to dip again into my cellar. Pouring straight into glass gives me only a moderate, fizzy head over an orange body with plenty of bubbles. First thing to my nose is a smell of pizza dough yeast, then a note of orange. Not a lot of aroma besides that, but then this has been laid aside. Closer into, the orange does come in more like clementine than the same old orange peel. Not really catching pepper, but I’be had a couple pepper beers and said where’s the pepper, so it seems soaking the corns in wort adds something else to the taste. Instead it has a slight wheat malt spice. A suggestion of fruity overtone, and some aromatic Belgian malt. I mostly pick up yeast in the nose more than my tongue. Yes, the alcohol starts to catch up with me. As I drink further down, I’d say the malt is winning the day over the usual warm ferment spiciness. Orange character stays in a supporting role throughout. It’s aged out very well, and I’d say if you have any still squirreled away, drink ’em now. Cause I’m starting to get a hint of mildew every once in a while. It’s not bad now, but why wait?

Draft on tap at the brewpub (Flossmoor, IL). Pours a nice dulled amber pour, almost some touches of dark near brownish apple sauce. Well hazed with a big fluffy and cakey offwhite head atop. Some glow, fairly hazy. Aromas are sweet breads, honey, and orange rind, a tart citrusy bite with some pepper and light spicy yeast. A lot of orange as it warms. Initial is medium bodied throwing a big dose of tart orange citrus up front, oils from the rind and touches of yeasty spice move into bread dough, some toast, pale malts and some light spicy yeast, sweet honey and apples. A gorgeous lacing, moving into a more dry and bitter finish, but the mellow sweetness returns into the lingering aftertaste. Some mellow pepper, a touch of spicy yeast, the orange seems to dominate it and some light fruity esters hide behind the bigger citrus bite. It’s got some sweetness going on, but I feel the orange peel (copious at that) keeps it at bay. Light spiciness, as it warms more there is some more of the peppercorn apparent in the lingering finish. I liked this, a lot of orange and fairly dry, the sweetness stays at bay and the peppercorns start to show up in the finish. Not your typical Saison, but an interesting and palatable Belgian Ale that doesn’t show the alcohol warmth it seems to have. Nice.

Sample at the Central OH BA Tasting at From The Vine on 06/02/2012: The beer is a slightly hazy orange-gold color with a medium thin white head that diminishes quickly to an outer ring. Short strings of lacing. Aroma of fruit, herbs and malt. Medium body with a floral character and notes of yeast, fruit and sweet spice. The finish is sweet with a citrus aftertaste. Above average overall.

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